The Management of Global Logistics Services (GLS Group) issues this statement to address persistent inaccuracies in public reporting surrounding the recent cargo interception at Roberts International Airport (RIA), and to set out the company’s position clearly and for the record.
For fourteen years, GLS Group has served Liberia’s logistics sector with a commitment to compliance, transparency and operational excellence.
Recent public commentary surrounding an ongoing investigation concerning the cargo interception has created confusion regarding the company’s statutory role. This statement is intended to clarify those facts. As a freight forwarder, GLS Group did not authorize, approve, invoice, or knowingly facilitate the shipment in question through its established corporate systems. GLS Group states the following in the strongest possible terms:
Key Facts: The Statutory Division of Responsibility at RIA
Public confusion owing to misinformation about the role of Global Logistics Services’ (GLS Group) has been central to the mischaracterization of this matter. The following facts are not in dispute and are governed by Liberian law:
• GLS MENZIES is an independent and separate entity from Global Logistics Services (GLS Group); and GLS-MENZIES’ role is limited to logistics, handling, and storage of cargo passing through the airport facility.
• Global Logistics Services (GLS Group) which is a freight forwarding company, is engaged in customs brokerage, and project logistics, and has no operational role in cargo handling at RIA.
• The authority to screen, inspect, and clear/approve cargo for shipment from RIA rests solely and exclusively with Government agencies empowered by statute to perform those functions.
• Attributing responsibility to GLS Group misstates this statutory division of responsibility and conflates freight forwarding with cargo handling — two distinct functions carried out by two distinct sets of actors. For the record, GLS Group neither performs cargo handling nor cargo screening and cargo clearing/approval for shipment.
Full Cooperation with the Law
Over the past several weeks, Global Logistics Services (GLS Group) has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to transparency and the rule of law. We have cooperated fully with national security agencies and investigators:
• GLS Group management has cooperated willingly and fully with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and the Joint Special Investigation Team.
• Our offices and operational facilities were made fully available to investigating authorities, who conducted on site reviews without obstruction.
• As a certified logistics provider held to strict international compliance benchmarks, our internal procedures are designed to log, handle, and escalate irregularities. We continue to urge that the ongoing legal process run its course on verified facts, within the statutory framework described above, rather than on speculation.
A Call for Accuracy in Public Reporting
GLS Group is concerned that recent public commentary has, in places, blurred the statutory distinction between terminal operations and cargo screening — creating an impression of alleged corporate culpability that is neither supported by the facts nor by the roles assigned to each party under Liberian law.
Certain media entities and commentators have gone further, publishing defamatory commentary including but not limited to calls for the closure of freight forwarding operations and the arbitrary suspension of the concession agreement.
GLS Group would be remiss to allow its reputation to be dismantled by unverified public commentary. The presumption of innocence is not a courtesy—it is a constitutional principle that protects both individuals and legal entities until proven otherwise through due process.
GLS Group will take the necessary steps to hold to account any person or entity engaged in spreading defamatory statements in order to protect the company’s longstanding integrity and reputation.
Any determination of alleged corporate culpability belongs before the courts, where it can be examined directly, transparently, and in accordance with the law. That is what due process requires. Unless and until a court determines otherwise, the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence must be respected.
GLS Group: A Pillar of the Liberian Economy
Global Logistics Services’ (GLS Group) record in Liberia speaks for itself.
• 14 Years of Commitment: Alongside credible international investors, including Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) and other reputable global corporations, GLS Group has invested significantly in critical national logistics and aviation infrastructure.
• Taxpayer & Employer: Since inception, GLS Group has contributed significantly in taxes to the national treasury and directly created hundreds of stable jobs for Liberian citizens.
• Rigorous Standards: Our institutional and international development funding was secured only after passing intrusive and exhaustive corporate due diligence processes.
We call on all responsible institutions and members of the public to allow the legal process to run its course on verified facts, and to correctly attribute statutory responsibility for cargo screening, clearing/approval of cargo for shipment to the government agencies mandated to carry it out. GLS Group remains committed to Liberia’s economy, its people, and its future. That commitment does not waiver.
Business Continuity – A Message to Our Partners, Clients, and Stakeholders
To our international partners, valued clients, dedicated employees, and the general public: GLS Group remains resilient and unwavering in its commitment to the highest standards of logistics integrity, regulatory compliance, and professional service. Our contractual obligations continue to be fulfilled, our compliance systems remain in place, and our employees remain focused on delivering uninterrupted service to clients and partners. GLS Group will continue to cooperate with lawful authorities while firmly protecting the rights, reputation, employees, investments, and legitimate business interests of the company. We remain confident that a fair, transparent, and evidence-based legal process will distinguish verified facts from speculation, correctly apply Liberia’s statutory division of responsibility, and ultimately establish the truth. For over a decade, GLS Group has invested in Liberia’s logistics sector, supported international trade, and created opportunities for Liberians. We remain committed to continuing that work with integrity, professionalism, and full respect for the rule of law.